INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH REPORT (IRR)

Could new scientific methods of coffee production around the globe be sustainable?

Coffee has seen a surge in demand. Its production supports 125 million people worldwide

with many coffee beans being produced in the developing world in countries like Vietnam, and

Indonesia (Davis). The need for sustainable methods of coffee production has arisen as climate

change and coffee farms are affecting one another. Nittle writes, “Rising demand for coffee has

been linked to deforestation in developing nations, damaging biodiversity and releasing carbon

emissions. At the same time, coffee producers are struggling with the impacts of more extreme

weather, from frosts to droughts. It’s estimated that half of the land used to grow coffee could be

unproductive by 2025 due to the climate crisis” (Nittle). Since the US EPA defines sustainability

as “to create or maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive

harmony to support present and future generations”, the large coffee industry can be supported

using sustainable coffee production methods. Though many tend to look at coffee production

from the environmental lens, this research report will examine the new scientific methods of

coffee production in relation to developing and developed nations. This report cannot examine

all new scientific methods of production being employed in every country nor can it explore the

depths of coffee and the climate crisis. However, this report will examine possible sustainable

methods of coffee production, and the limitations that might make one method more reliable than

another. Therefore, new scientific methods of coffee production may or may not aid developing

and developed countries to produce coffee sustainably.

Developing Nations
 New scientific methods of coffee production in developing nations tend to aid traditional

models of farming by protecting coffee crops. This is showcased through a new form of

bio-control fertilizer. Various scientists from different universities and institutions reviewed the

findings of the study included as research here. As a peer reviewed journal, this source has the

highest level of credibility as it has no biases and reveals the direct findings of the research.

Robusta coffee is the most produced species of coffee in the developing nation of Vietnam which

is the 2nd largest coffee producer in the world. Yet, coffee crops are often affected by

plant-parasitic nematodes. “More than 80% of coffee trees may suffer and eventually die due to

nematode-induced diseases during the process of replanting [7]. Plants infected by nematodes

show yellow leaves, stunted growth, rot root or galling, and the tree may eventually die [8–11]”

(Nguyen, Dai Nam, et al.). Chemical nematicides have been used to control nematodes by

eradicating them, but those treatments cause environmental pollution, and lower coffee quality.

Rhizobacteria strands within microbes, tiny organisms, were isolated in order to examine

whether the strands could naturally consume the nematodes. Pseudomonas aeruginosa TUN03, a

strain of bacteria, was found to be the most effective strain as it reduced the number of

nematodes in coffee roots while increasing plant growth. It displayed compounds with

anti-fungal effects against alternating plant pathogen fungi that damage crops. These findings

helped scientists determine that TUN03 could work to fertilize soil and biologically control

nematodes and fungi in coffee plants (Nguyen, Dai Nam, et al.) TUN03 which acts as both a

bio-fertilizer and bio-control might mean a turn away from chemical pesticides which will

greatly reduce farmland degregation and improve soil health making a sustainable move in

coffee production.
 On the contrary, new scientific methods of coffee production in developing nations might

lead to further deforestation. In Indonesia, for instance, farmers were found illegally growing

coffee on protected land. The New York Times Magazine details the ordeal. As an American

magazine, there is some potential bias, but it presents credible evidence. Farmers were planting

coffee illegally and selling it to middlemen who then sold the coffee to other legal and illegal

farmers as well as exporters (Williams). This presents a potential problem since new scientific

methods proven to increase yields can be used to farm illegally on land that is protected in order

to make a profit. It is possible that more land will be deforested in order to exploit and scale

these new methods of production which would diminish how sustainable the production of these

coffee crops is in developing countries.

Developed Nations

Developed countries like Finland and America have a more advanced method of coffee

production. The research presented is from a British newspaper called the Guardian. It examines

coffee production in America and Finland, and it tends to be left leaning which does present

possible biases. However, the information presented does have some credibility. In Finland,

VTT, a research, development, and innovation company created coffee without coffee beans.

Nittle writes, “VTT's coffee is grown by floating cell cultures in bioreactors filled with a

nutrient. The process requires no pesticides and has a much lower water footprint, said Rischer,

and because the coffee can be produced in local markets, it cuts transport emissions”. Similarly,

an American company, Atomo, released what is called a “molecular coffee” which is made from

plant based compounds. The concoction can be roasted, and brewed resulting in 93% lower
carbon emissions and 94% less water use than conventional coffee throughout the whole coffee

production process (Nittle). VTT’s and Atomo’s new scientific methods of cultivating coffee are

game changing. Since the coffee is either grown in a lab or made from plant waste, there is no

deforestation related to the production of the coffee. The companies also have dramatically

reduced the amount of emissions related to coffee production. As we look for a more sustainable

method of production, lab grown coffee presents a compelling opportunity for developed nations

to grow their stake in the coffee industry.

More importantly, lab grown coffee could affect traditional farmers in developing

countries as production scales. The article explains “...Daniele Giovannucci, president and

co-founder of the Committee on Sustainability Assessment, a consortium that focuses on

agricultural sustainability, is concerned that scaling up lab-grown coffee could affect the

livelihoods of the millions of workers in the traditional coffee industry, especially in countries

such as Ethiopia where coffee is central to the economy” (Nittle). Clearly, this puts the

sustainability of lab grown coffee into question as it “can create socio-economic problems that

can drive even greater climate effects” (Nittle). The two perspectives begin to conflict as

developing nations do not have the same resources nor funding to transition their local coffee

economy from conventional means of production to lab-grown coffee production. Developing

countries must rely on things that will supplement the productivity of conventional farming such

as bio-control fertilizers.

Though lab grown coffee poses a possible threat to coffee production in developing

nations, it can be concluded that it is a highly sustainable scientific method of production. Going

forward these companies from the developed world should keep in mind the economic
repercussions of expanding on developing nations when considering a course of action to scale

production.

Solution

Issues of sustainability arose for both lab grown coffee and bio-control fertilizers.

TUN03, is a highly efficient, affordable option for developing nations that could easily be used

to scale production of coffee which can possibly cause deforestation. For developing nations, the

best solution in that case would be to focus on the protection of land and regulation of coffee

farmers. As for the companies in the developed world, the scaling of lab-grown coffee can cause

economic instability in developing countries. Companies might choose to open factories in

developing countries and source local workers to soften the economic impact of expansion.

Although the solution for lab-grown coffee addresses economic instability in the

developing world, companies will have to spend a lot of money on sourcing local workers and

locating to these countries. In addition, if the coffee is produced in foreign countries and

exported out, the emissions for transportation would make the option unsustainable. Therefore,

solutions should look to be both sustainable and aware of economic responsibility.

Works Cited

Davis, Marion. “The Global Challenge of Adapting Coffee to a Changing Climate.” SEI, 15 Dec.

2021,

www.sei.org/featured/global-challenge-adapting-coffee-changing-climate/#:~:text=Howe

ver%2C%20the%20stakes%20are%20even.
"Eco-friendly, lab-grown coffee is on the way, but it comes with a catch; Beanless brews can cut

deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions dramatically -- but what will happen to

workers in traditional coffee-growing regions?" Guardian [London, England], 16 Oct.

2021, p. NA. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A679159273/GPS?u=nysl_ca_dmvacces&sid=bookmark-GPS&x

id=239b3a8b. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Nguyen, Dai Nam, et al. “Potential Application of Rhizobacteria Isolated from the Central

Highland of Vietnam as an Effective Biocontrol Agent of Robusta Coffee Nematodes and

as a Bio-Fertilizer.” Agronomy, vol. 11, no. 9, Sept. 2021, p. 1887. EBSCOhost,

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091887.

Williams, Wyatt. “How Your Cup of Coffee Is Clearing the Jungle.” The New York Times, 11

Aug. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/magazine/indonesia-rainforest-coffee.html .